Pages

Categories

March 22, 2016

What is the Purpose of Difficulties?, pt. 2

If you’re
similar to me, your journey through life has been full of mountains and
valleys. You may have been faced with life-threatening trials the size of Mt.
Everest. It’s gets harder to breathe in the higher altitude, and you truly
wonder if you’ll ever reach the top.

In my last article,
I wrote about how victory comes after the struggle. Trials can be blessings in
disguise; we just have to be patient. Today, I would like to explore the topic
of opposition more deeply.

What is Opposition?

Merriam-Webster
dictionary online defines it this way: something that opposes; hostile or
contrary action or condition. For example, joy comes after sorrow.

In the
science of physics, it can be explained by Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of
Motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

“Greatness is not measured by what a
man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to
reach his goals.”—Dorothy Height

************

“Success is not measured by what you
accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with
which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”—Orison Swett
Marden

***********

Trials are a time “to force a smile,
gaze heavenward, and say, ‘I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to
prove myself, isn’t it?’”—Jorg Klebingat

Prominent figures who Endured Trials

The Catholic
Church traditionally requires that the people they categorize as saints have a
proven, documented record of at least one miracle. It goes without saying that
those who produce wonders are faced with setbacks.

St. Patrick of Ireland
(5th century)

Some may
wonder why, in America, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every March 17th.
Who was he? What exactly did he do? Why do we wear green?

The primary
patron saint of Ireland was born in Roman-occupied Britain. He was a Christian
missionary in Ireland, and eventually he became a bishop. We honor him by
wearing green, the favorite color of “The Emerald Isle”. (I’ve been there; it is very green and beautiful.)

Naturally, as
a foreigner and a follower of an unfamiliar religion, he faced great
opposition. He was without legal protection. He also refused to accept gifts (bribes) from
kings and other prominent figures. He was beaten and imprisoned. It goes without
saying that his teachings weren’t accepted by everyone.

St. Anthony of Egypt (3rd
century)

He is called “The
Father of all Monks”. He pioneered the idea of leaving society and living a
strict, simple life. He lived much of his adult life in the wilderness; first
in a tomb, and then in an abandoned fort.

As St.
Anthony grew closer to God through his meditations and studies, he was faced
with opposition. This unsurprising fact has been documented. The accounts of the
attacks vary. According to Wikipedia, he was first confronted in his mind.
Next, he was beaten. During the third wave of challenges, he was confronted
with hordes of phantoms appearing as wild animals. When he laughed and told
them to go away because they had no authority over him, the specters vanished.

The other
side of the coin is that St. Anthony was known as a healer in his time. He is still appealed to for help against
infectious diseases, especially diseases of the skin, such as St. Anthony’s Fire.

My Conclusion

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV)